tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.comments2024-03-05T04:03:13.851-05:00Dead and Dying retailNickEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16204643187244801996noreply@blogger.comBlogger1136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-68478817875509361012017-08-27T16:38:38.064-04:002017-08-27T16:38:38.064-04:00That mall looked a lot better before Hull. With ti...That mall looked a lot better before Hull. With tile and the cool skylights, it seemed so much brighter. Gotta give it to Hull to make a mall look like some boring blech with some more boring blech. I guess one thing I learned is that the walls covered up with photos of the city is more common than I thought with Hull.Romeohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423066177985058347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-73213923522666511272017-05-06T21:16:44.364-04:002017-05-06T21:16:44.364-04:00I'm posting this whole thing here, just make s...I'm posting this whole thing here, just make sure to credit me... (I did revise mine because of your discovery of Grant's)<br /><br />———<br /><br />On October 14, 1967, Crown American, one of the leading mall developers in the state of Pennsylvania, introduced shoppers in Sharon and Hermitage (in the far western portion of the state, just across the Ohio border) to its newest center: the Shenango Valley Mall. The mall boasted Sears, Penney’s and W.T. Grant as anchors, and a BiLo supermarket also was attached to the regional center.<br /><br />The 1970s were perhaps the best time for this mall, and they certainly were the highlight in the expansion department. The two major events were the addition of new inline stores in the mid-1970s, as well as the 1979 opening of a 76,000-square-foot Strouss department store on the east side (replacing Grant’s). The mall now boasted a T shape, with Sears and Strouss on the main corridor and JCPenney in the back. It also had further hurt downtown Sharon by undercutting the business of the existing branch of Strouss, which would close not long after.<br /><br />The first anchor changes at the center had to do with Strouss, which was based in Youngstown. The May Company acquired the chain and converted the locations to Kaufmann’s in 1986.<br /><br />The 90s brought new competition and a need to renovate. The Prime Outlets at Grove City opened in 1994 and threatened to take away many inline tenants from Shenango Valley. In response, Hermitage officials successfully lobbied Crown American to carry out a $3.5 million renovation in 1996. The renovation spruced up the mall corridor and the Sears store and brought the gross leasable area of the center to 512,000 square feet. It also helped the mall retain smaller stores. Two years later, May Company expanded the Kaufmann’s store by absorbing the 30,000 square feet left over from the closed BiLo; it also renovated at this time, particularly its entrances.<br /><br />The mall was sold by Crown American to PREIT in 2003, who turned around and sold it to Lightstone in 2005. <br /><br />In 2006, Kaufmann’s converted to Macy’s, marking the third nameplate on the east wing department store since its construction.<br /><br />You might be wondering at this point… “Wait! This is deadmalls.com. This mall doesn’t sound dead!” You would have been right on Christmas Day 2016. Then the gong sounded.<br /><br />On December 30, Sears announced that its latest round of store closings meant the end of 48 Sears locations. Three states lost four stores apiece: New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, all four stores were in enclosed malls, and Shenango Valley made the list. (Small comfort: the auto center was spared.)<br /><br />On January 4, the same day Sears released its full national list, Macy’s added insult to injury when it announced 68 of the 100 stores it planned to close in 2017. Shenango Valley made that list as well, one of six locations in the Keystone State to be shuttered and the only mall to lose both Macy’s and Sears at the same time. Only JCPenney remains at the center, and if shoppers seek to drive across the state line to shop the Macy’s and Sears stores in Warren (Eastwood Mall) and Youngstown (Southern Park Mall), they will find JCPenney locations at both of those malls as well.<br /><br />With a questionable regional economy and two crippling blows inflicted in one week, Shenango Valley is definitely on the endangered species list as it approaches its 50th anniversary. Its fate is in the hands of JCPenney. As long as CEO Marvin Ellison decides not to conduct further store closings, this mall could hang on. But owner Sterling Properties Management will have trouble attracting replacement tenants for Shenango Valley’s anchor stores, given the location and regional environment. With lost anchors, the center’s inline tenants could very well flee, and its continued future could get very cloudy indeed.Raymie Humberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06747579682034335386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-39511530408730517662017-05-06T15:27:09.360-04:002017-05-06T15:27:09.360-04:00Where the antique store is now use to be fashion b...Where the antique store is now use to be fashion bug and fashion bug plus :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09844397315799509063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-18176750968819217082017-05-03T19:27:34.650-04:002017-05-03T19:27:34.650-04:00It's amazing how May and Macy's never touc...It's amazing how May and Macy's never touched the nasty looking vintage carpet. The sears store looked to be in better physical condition than Macy's.Stuellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079603988163697611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-65936280108769793512017-05-01T21:10:24.367-04:002017-05-01T21:10:24.367-04:00Do you know what the grocery anchor was? My best g...Do you know what the grocery anchor was? My best guess was Kroger since they had a bunch of stores in malls early on. I searched for old grocery store ads yet I couldn't find any ads mentioning a Shenango Valley Mall location. By grocery anchor, you talking about the space next to the W.T. Grant / Strouss building, right? <br /><br />I saw another remodel mentioned around 1976 (the year Strouss was moving in). I know that there was an expansion to the Sears wing between 1970 and the early 1990s(based on historical aerial imagery). I wonder if that was part of the 1976 remodel. The expansion included the store that I couldn't figure out what it was prior (now an antiques place).<br /><br />I noticed during research that the North Wing was opened back up, but the new entrance was hidden down the hallway with the restrooms and offices. I didn't know of it when I went there and took the photos. Someone did a YouTube video on it though. <br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvpsY-O5CENickEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16204643187244801996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-28282496564493261152017-05-01T13:09:08.491-04:002017-05-01T13:09:08.491-04:00I wrote a deadmalls entry a couple of months ago a...I wrote a deadmalls entry a couple of months ago and found some additional information on Shenango Valley you don't have — I didn't know of the W.T. Grant, but you're missing info on the grocery anchor and also on some of the renovation history of the mall. Let me know and I'll send it to you. Perhaps you could add your piece and we could send in the entry to them together.Raymie Humberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06747579682034335386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-21326446758375985972017-04-30T11:49:18.935-04:002017-04-30T11:49:18.935-04:00Yeah, I imagine that mall management heard about t...Yeah, I imagine that mall management heard about the closings before the general public. Usually store and mall management are made aware of closings ahead of time. Mall management also knows when leases expire, so they can know what to expect in the future(except for chains that declare bankruptcy),such as which stores are likely to renew or leave. <br /><br />I could see someplace such as Rural King want to move into the Sears or Macy's stores. Those stores don't draw much mall traffic and some of them attached to malls seal off the mall entrance. The JCPenney store seemed to be fairly busy at Shenango Valley Mall, at least it seemed busier than the store in my town. I think running a mid-price or more value based shopping center would be the best bet. It would have to have pull in stores not currently in the town (such as Five Below, Burlington, Target, or Gabe's). The town has Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Kohl's, and Kmart. <br /><br />The Macy's store was in fairly decent shape compared with others in the area. They definitely haven't changed anything since Kaufmann's. Then again, I can't think of a store they did update since taking over May department stores in 2005/2006. Macy's seem to neglect their stores quite a bit, at least in Ohio and Pennsylvania.<br /><br />I hope they do figure out something to make the mall successful. NickEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16204643187244801996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-57100127625452539642017-04-29T23:44:16.013-04:002017-04-29T23:44:16.013-04:00Needless to say, losing two anchors at one time is...Needless to say, losing two anchors at one time is going to be very hard on this mall. The mall management probably saw it coming, but they were probably hoping for a miracle. I can't really suggest any redevelopment plans since I'm totally clueless about the area, but maybe a Burlington Coat Factory type store can help replace at least some of the demised anchor space. <br /><br />The JCPenney signage is very vintage, I like it. The mall entrance to the Sears is one of the most plain mall entrances I've ever seen even compared to other Sears. The Macy's store looked pretty vintage. Perhaps not as vintage as a couple of Macy's that closed recently in Houston (Greenspoint Mall and Plaza Paseo/Pasadena Town Square), but still vintage nevertheless. The Foot Locker is a real retro gem even if the store is now closed. It's a shame that the fye is closing, mall music stores have become very rare around these parts.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the photos. It's good to read about a little known dying mall. Hopefully the mall management team will be able to come up with something successful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-1622108161313175642017-03-17T20:59:43.102-04:002017-03-17T20:59:43.102-04:00The East Dublin Granville (OH-161) was the first G...The East Dublin Granville (OH-161) was the first Giant Eagle I went to several years back. Too bad it is closed now, but that area is very empty, filled will closed stores.Trip To The Mallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11353578745151225482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-27495856667438451902017-03-16T02:50:35.052-04:002017-03-16T02:50:35.052-04:00I think people generally do like Acme Fresh Market...I think people generally do like Acme Fresh Market better. I live closer to Cleveland and have never shopped at an Acme store before, but I generally do hear more positive things about them. I hear that people complain about some Giant Eagle stores not being updated, problems with produce, and problems with customer service. I also think a little bit of Pittsburgh / Cleveland rivalry plays into some customer opinions about the store.<br /><br />Chains such as Acme Fresh Market, Buehler's, Heinen's, Marc's, Fishers Foods, and Dave's are all more local chains based in Northeastern Ohio so they do get some home turf advantage over Giant Eagle. That said, Acme, Buehler's, and Fishers Foods are more traditional grocery stores, but they don't have a presence around Cleveland, just to the south in areas like Akron and Canton. Heinen's is more of an upper-scale store and Marc's is a discount store; while they do have stores throughout NE Ohio, they are not too large of direct competitors. Dave's is a more traditional grocery store, but they mostly have a presence deep into Cleveland, not in the suburbs. Also, Dave's has a strong relationship to Giant Eagle; Dave's is supplied by Giant Eagle (but locally ran)and some locations have Giant Eagle pharmacies in them. Some locations have gone from Giant Eagle to Dave's or Dave's to Giant Eagle, so they have swapped some stores before.<br /><br />That Lorain Avenue store is typical for a 1990s Rini-Rego / Stop-n-Shop store. I was basing the mid 1990s build date off of historical aerial imagery from 1994 that didn't show the store built yet. You can usually get dates from the assessor's website, but the one for Cuyahoga County doesn't include build dates for buildings. Rini-Rego did use more of a retro design with the drop ceiling and lights over certain areas. Giant Eagle has removed some of the lighting in some of the stores. In some of those stores Giant Eagle has also painted the drop ceilings black or dark brown around the produce and put in spotlights. I like the look better with the older lights.<br /><br />My favorite store was the Neil Avenue one in Columbus. It was neat that they still had a Big Bear clock in use. The interior was still very Big Bear like despite being painted and having new signs put in.NickEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16204643187244801996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-25558788313598469752017-03-15T16:29:59.668-04:002017-03-15T16:29:59.668-04:00Thanks for the information about Giant Eagle. It&...Thanks for the information about Giant Eagle. It's one of those major regional chains that those of us who live outside their region know little about even though we've heard the name. I actually shopped at a Giant Eagle in Akron near the Summit Mall some years ago. It seemed like a nice store, but I think I had a preference for the Acme Fresh Market across the street. I can't really remember why I had a preference for the Acme Fresh Market, but is that a common opinion for people living in the Akron area?<br /><br />Thanks for the pictures as well. The Lorain Avenue store is the most interesting one to me. You say it opened in the mid-1990s according to your research (which I don't doubt), but it really looks like something that would have opened in the late 1980s. Perhaps Rini-Rego was still using some retro designs at that time. The lighting in the produce area is really remarkable and must have been quite a sight to shoppers when they first shopped at that store. A design like that would look much less remarkable once a bulb or two burned out, but it looks like Giant Eagle maintained this store well on the inside even though it was destined to close. It's sad that this store is closing as it seems like an interesting place to shop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-73405730084590146212016-11-23T00:11:53.660-05:002016-11-23T00:11:53.660-05:00There's some more photos of this store on Flic...There's some more photos of this store <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/115637162@N02/sets/72157672062900232" rel="nofollow">on Flickr taken by styertowne</a>. One thing that is interesting is that this Sears seems to have maintained a fairly decently sized electronics department in a fairly prime space in the store even though Sears has been deemphasizing electronics at most stores and has almost totally eliminated them at some smaller stores. It's good to see Sears maintain this location as a full-line store even with the downsizing. Also, the fact that electronics stuck around at this significantly remodeled store is a good sign that they will stick around at other higher performing stores.<br /><br />This store looks a bit bland with the gray flooring (I'm a fan of the more carpeted 1990s Sears designs) and the basic department signage that looks more discount store-like than department store, but the store does look pretty good and clean. I won't hold my breath waiting for this, but hopefully Sears can put these renovations in other higher performing stores. That will give customers a sense that Sears is a more modern, upscale store even if some of the current stores that have 1990s interiors still look pretty nice.<br /><br />The Sears store with the nicest interior that I've actually been to in recent years would be the Baybrook Mall Sears in SE Houston. I'm not sure when the store was last totally renovated, but the clothing departments have a more upscale department store-like feel than most Sears stores. The sporting goods department must have been renovated somewhat recently. It's modeled to look like a gym and looks really good. The store received new signage with the current Sears logo in 2012 or 2013. The Plaza Paseo (formerly known as Pasadena Town Square) Sears in the Houston area also looks quite nice. It's a late 1990s Sears and has a similar exterior and interior to other full-line Sears stores from that era. Unlike in other eras, I guess Sears decided to go for standardized store designs in the 1990s. <br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the article and pictures of this Sears. I'd certainly love to see more coverage of Sears stores on this blog. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-3289120047915860412016-11-22T23:59:45.871-05:002016-11-22T23:59:45.871-05:00They are currently remodeling/downsizing/reshaping...They are currently remodeling/downsizing/reshaping the Albuquerque Coronado Center Sears to this prototype. They spent months doing a clearance sale, and are now in the final stages of interior remodeling of the space, with ongoing construction to reconfigure 100,000+ square feet of the original store into new mall space.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376374735628532767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-54160871692093425532016-11-22T15:44:15.523-05:002016-11-22T15:44:15.523-05:00He might be though. It seems recently a ton of Sea...He might be though. It seems recently a ton of Sears stores are ownsiing to a store like this, or closing and sometimes getting replaced by a appliance store like Ft. ColinsDaniel Hasslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306748749193877831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-29975743083237087632016-11-21T15:29:34.162-05:002016-11-21T15:29:34.162-05:00If Eddie Lampert had half a clue what he was doing...If Eddie Lampert had half a clue what he was doing (or alternately, wasn't trying to run Sears/Kmart into the ground); he'd be using this Sears as a model for refreshing the stores.Jacob Burke Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03290739968701326807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-71952097121076689432016-11-16T14:35:03.680-05:002016-11-16T14:35:03.680-05:00It looks better than the ghetto Sears in most plac...It looks better than the ghetto Sears in most places here in SE FL. Even at the "upscale" Boca Town Center, the Sears store there needs a serious refresh. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-72170369530891154192016-11-16T12:09:00.097-05:002016-11-16T12:09:00.097-05:00Nicest Sears in USA maybe. Most Sears in Mexico ar...Nicest Sears in USA maybe. Most Sears in Mexico are a lot better that this in Ct. Hubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14546531769131774290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-24702893701414032382016-10-30T10:12:41.131-04:002016-10-30T10:12:41.131-04:00I would too after reading about that company and w...I would too after reading about that company and where their stores are located <br />But hey you never knowKmart fan 98https://www.blogger.com/profile/05643197771820557322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-71432279331083732642016-10-27T01:05:27.799-04:002016-10-27T01:05:27.799-04:00What an odd name for a mall!What an odd name for a mall!Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-36053932955141680102016-10-27T01:03:31.870-04:002016-10-27T01:03:31.870-04:00I'm looking at the Sears at 3177 W Chandler Bl...I'm looking at the Sears at 3177 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85226 and I see the "old" Sears logo so I'm not sure what your talking about?Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-88452438515830802352016-10-27T00:56:22.030-04:002016-10-27T00:56:22.030-04:00Fantastic! Its technically not a "Grand"...Fantastic! Its technically not a "Grand" store anymore, it's a regular Sears but I am sure the store won't ever update the signage.Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-439193602997491692016-10-27T00:54:39.327-04:002016-10-27T00:54:39.327-04:00Thanks for the update!Thanks for the update!Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-9760858282320681682016-10-27T00:52:29.820-04:002016-10-27T00:52:29.820-04:00WOW! That is a very different looking Kmart. Thank...WOW! That is a very different looking Kmart. Thanks for the info!Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-1817869791815160472016-10-27T00:49:22.537-04:002016-10-27T00:49:22.537-04:00I'd be shocked if Menards goes this far northe...I'd be shocked if Menards goes this far northeast.Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638967203750102584.post-58049583736872080772016-10-27T00:48:56.846-04:002016-10-27T00:48:56.846-04:00Well, we like the truth, as long as its done in a ...Well, we like the truth, as long as its done in a PG way.Mike Kazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454800834122639276noreply@blogger.com